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Replacing Adobe Reader with Foxit PDF Reader

Foxit PDF Reader is a good choice for replacing the bloated and annoying Adobe Reader

Magazine Summary

List of ComputorEdge Sponsors

Digital Dave

by Digital Dave

Digital Dave answers your tech questions.

Flash Drive Files; LibreOffice AutoCorrect; The Danger in "Doing Links."

FoxIt Reader PDF Reading Software (Free)

by Jack Dunning

Based on Recommendations of ComputorEdge Readers, Foxit PDF Reader Is Now a Favorite

Like so many other de facto standards, Adobe Reader has become bloated and annoying. It's time to replace it with Foxit PDF Reader.

Packing More Info into Apps with Window Tabs

by Jack Dunning

The AutoHotkey Tab GUI Control Is a Powerful Space Saver for Windows Apps

When you find that you are adding so many data and editing fields to your AutoHotkey GUI windows that they become large and grotesque, then it's time to take a look at the Tab control. Tabs instantly add more space to your apps without taking up more screen.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

by Wally Wang

Apple Moving to the Enterprise

Apple Moving to the Enterprise; Open Source Wins Again; Turning an iPad Into a Whiteboard; Adware Comes to the Macintosh; Technology is Never a Magic Bullet; Following iBeacon; Erase Deleted Items.

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers

by ComputorEdge Staff

Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.

"Microsoft Windows Update," "Open vs. LibreOffice," "Win 8 Upgrade and Internet Access"

Send mail to ceeditor@computoredge.com with questions about editorial content.

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Click to Visit ComputorEdge™ Online on the Web!

Digital Dave

“Digital Dave answers your tech questions.”
by Digital Dave

Flash Drive Files; LibreOffice AutoCorrect; The Danger in "Doing Links."

Flash Drive Files

Dear Digital Dave,

I'm sure this is a Mickey Mouse question for the experts, but I am not one. I have just loaded a 16GB flash drive with some photos. It shows that I have 5.36GB free space remaining. If I want to add additional photos or anything else, will it write over my existing photos, or will the new data begin where the old left off?

Thanks in advance for your assistance and information.

Gabby DeDonato

San Clemente, CA

Dear Gabby,

Even though a flash drive has no moving parts, it interacts with a computer the same way as a hard drive. It contains an internal directory which tracks all of the files you have loaded onto it. Therefore, the files will not be overwritten unless you first delete them. You should be able to continue to add files to the drive until it is full.

In fact, for flash drives (or Secure Digital cards in cameras) it is probably best to let the chip continue to fill up until you need more space, then clear off all of the unneeded files. The reason for this is whenever there is an erasure of a bit, a small amount of deterioration occurs. This is multiplied by the sequence a flash drive uses to delete files. Limiting how often you erase files will limit this multiplier effect. I haven't done the math to prove this, but there is certainly no harm in leaving files in place until you are forced to remove them.

This theory of mine does not apply to Solid State Drives since the files will be moved from time to time to more efficiently spread the use of all the memory—even if the files never change.

Files are not actually deleted from any drive when you press Delete—even after emptying the trash. They are merely marked as deleted in the directory and no longer appear on your list of files. This tells the system that the space they occupied is now available for writing, but until something else is written to the drive which overwrites that space, there are ways to recover the files.

Getting back to your original question, if you can see the files in your folder list, then they are highly unlikely to be overwritten.

Digital Dave

LibreOffice AutoCorrect

Dear Digital Dave,

LibreOffice is a favorite of many, yet there are numerous complaints about the difficulty with getting the Auto Correct to function. In every update I have done it does not work! A Google search reveals that this is common. What is the easiest way to get it working and is there anything professionals like you can do to get the sponsors to correct their recurring problem?

Ron

Austin, TX

Dear Ron,

It appears that losing Autocorrect is a common problem with updates of LibreOffice. Assuming that you have all the proper settings (Format => AutoCorrect => While Typing), the answer to getting it going again is deleting some folders which are automatically set up when launching LibreOffice.

Close LibreOffice. Open the Applications folder (Run => shell:appdata). Open the LibreOffice folder. At that level, delete any folder starting with "4" and the subfolder. Restart LibreOffice. According to others this should do the trick.

I'm sure that this problem is on the list for the LibreOffice support group. I just don't know its priority. Since the software is free, there is little that anyone can do until the people in charge think that there is nothing more important to do. That day will come. I just don't know when.

I have AutoCorrect turned off in LibreOffice because I don't want it to interfere with my AutoHotkey AutoCorrect. The reason I use AutoHotkey for AutoCorrection is because it works in every Windows program I use, whether it's e-mail, a Blog, a text document, or any other time I'm typing text. There may be a few more features in the LibreOffice AutoCorrect such as automatic capitalization of the first letter after a period, but I can live without that—even though I had to learn how to use the SHIFT key to start a sentence.

Digital Dave

The Danger in "Doing Links"

Dear Digital Dave,

When I send a link to a friend by e-mail, he replies, "I don't do links." I understand what he's saying, but I think he's being more superstitious than wise. Just being online is "doing links." Granted, you don't want to download from suspect sources or open attachments that are suspect, but to make a blank policy of not connecting to strange links—isn't that going overboard?

Garry Schaeffer

San Diego, CA

Dear Garry,

The technical term for fear of clicking links is portaphobia (the fear of entrances). Not unlike agoraphobia (the fear of being outside—especially in crowds), portaphobia traps the computer user inside the walls of the computer. Yes, it is excessive if someone actually never clicks links. I wonder how your friend feels about e-mail attachments.

I believe in being cautious, but clicking links is not the most dangerous thing that you can do. Unless you have removed all security from your computer, even a bad link is not likely to do much more than take you somewhere you probably don't want to go. Cancelling everything will generally undo the excursion. If the link tries to download something onto your computer, there is usually a warning that will give you the opportunity to stop it. The people who get in trouble are those who ignore the warnings.

If I get an unexpected link or attachment from a friend, I generally query the sender for validation. (There is malware that can make an e-mail look like it's from a friend.) If the response is positive, then I venture forward.

It comes down to trust. Only click links from trusted sources. A person you know personally is generally a good example of either a trusted source of links or somebody whose links you know for sure are absolutely not safe. Use judgment. Zero tolerance is rarely appropriate.

If your friend won't click a link, the problem now is how do you get the important information to him? The data package is obviously too big for an attachment (which he probably wouldn't open anyway). I suppose you could print it and put it in a letter (if you can find a stamp). Or, better yet, post it on Facebook—unless he doesn't do Facebook either. It has links. Humm.

Digital Dave

FoxIt Reader PDF Reading Software (Free)

“Based on Recommendations of ComputorEdge Readers, Foxit PDF Reader Is Now a Favorite”
by Jack Dunning

Like so many other de facto standards, Adobe Reader has become bloated and annoying. It's time to replace it with Foxit PDF Reader.

A couple of weeks ago, I was remiss in not including Foxit PDF Reader in the article about the free software I actually use. I replaced Adobe Reader with Foxit a while back. Sometimes I get so used to using a good product that I forget that it's even there. I found Foxit PDF Reader through the wise recommendations of ComputorEdge readers. Sometime ago, I finally got around to installing it and giving it a try. I liked it so much that whenever I do an update on the book Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs, I will include a chapter on it. I certainly think it is worth the time to recommend it to all ComputorEdge readers.

Foxit PDF Reader is such a good replacement for Adobe Reader that I recommend anyone still using Adobe Reader uninstall it completely and add Foxit to their Windows systems. While both programs are free, when compared to Foxit, Adobe Reader is a pig.

Why Not Adobe Reader?

Adobe invented the PDF (Portable Document Format) and Adobe Reader has been the king of the free PDF file reading software for decades (not unlike what Internet Explorer was in Web browsers). However, the software became more and more bloated over years, slowing down computers and annoying people with constant updates. All that most people really need was a light, fast PDF reader which doesn't hog memory.

It doesn't take much searching to find numerous comments about Adobe Reader such as, "Constant and bothersome updates plus huge footprint make Adobe Reader my least favorite PDF tool," and "Resource hog, unstable, bloated and highly insecure."

Both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have their own light PDF reader built into their browser which has eliminated much of the need for Adobe Reader. However, there are times when you want to do more with a PDF file, plus it's nice to have a program not depended upon loading a Web browser. This is where Foxit PDF Reader comes in.

Foxit PDF Reader

There are many free PDF readers available, but few of them have received the recognition of Foxit PDF Reader for its speed and capabilities. In addition to reading PDFs, Foxit allows the user to add comments directly to the PDF, fill in forms, and even has a limited feature for creating new PDFs from files, a scanner, or the Windows Clipboard.

The interface is intuitive with a ribbon toolbar system (see Figure1), but if you hate ribbon menus, you can set Foxit to the Classic Toolbar dropdown menu mode.

Figure 1. The default mode for Foxit PDF Reader is a ribbon toolbar, but it can be changed to the dropdown menu style.

Most of the controls are intuitive. By testing the buttons while moving from tab to tab, you'll quickly understand what each does.

Adding Comments and Your Stamp of Approval

If you need to collaborate with others on a particular PDF, then there is a multitude of ways to add comments to the document (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Comments can be added to PDF documents by selecting from the various options. Here the cover image is circled with an arrow pointing at it, plus a note box and "Approved" stamp.

There is even a set of preformatted stamps which include "Approved," "Completed," "Confidential," "Draft," "Emergency," "Expired," "Received," and many more. What's really cool is that you can make your own stamps from any graphic images (a happy face?).

This commenting capability is especially useful in working environments where a number of people must review a file before corrections are made on the original…or maybe you just want to highlight certain aspects of a document you're e-mailing to a friend.

The View tab offers various ways to reformat the PDF format for display. If you want to temporarily eliminate all the images for easier reading, click the Text Viewer button (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. To convert the file to text only, click the Text Viewer button in the View tab (circled with arrow).

If you want the document read to you, click the little speaker icon in the View tab (see Figure 4). The computer's voice is used to read all of the text out loud—useful for the visually impaired and very young children.

Figure 4. Foxit PDF Reader even has a feature for reading the text in a file with the computer's voice.

The home tab includes options for creating PDF files. For me this is a limited feature.

Creating New PDF Files

I say that the Foxit Reader PDF creation feature is limited in primarily because you need Microsoft Office installed to take maximum advantage of it. Since I'm not caught up in the Microsoft Office collective, that doesn't work for me. I don't have Office installed on any of my computers—although I may have an old copy of Microsoft Office lying around somewhere. However, I can still make PDFs from images and text files. Plus, there is a rudimentary capability to make a blank PDF and add text and images.

Quite frankly, there are so many other ways to create a PDF that using Foxit is more of an afterthought. Most programs such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice have the capability to convert documents to PDFs. All of my computers include a print option to save a file as a PDF. All I have to do is use the print option is any program to access the PDF file driver.

There was a time when I used Adobe Acrobat to make the PDF files for the weekly issue of ComputorEdge, but I've found that the free Calibre e-book management software does an excellent job of creating a PDF file from the EPUB file I generate with the ComputorEdge online program. I rarely load my old, clumsy copy of Adobe Acrobat anymore.

Using Foxit in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox

While Foxit is a standalone program, there is a plug-in for Chrome and Firefox which allows you to read a PDF in those Web browsers. It replaces the built in PDF reader in each. The advantage to using this browser plug-in is that you get a similar look and feel to the main program and most of the same features—including reading out loud. (As far as I know Internet Explorer does not use add-ons to read PDFs. You can set the default browser to Foxit, but when viewing a PDF the main Foxit program will open for viewing independently of Internet Explorer.)

Getting the Foxit plug-in to work with these Web browser can be a little tricky. When installing the Foxit program, indicate that you want to use the Web browser plug-in. Then in Google Chrome open the Plug-ins page (see Figure 5). (Enter chrome//:plugins into the address field at the top of the window.)

Figure 5. To enable the Foxit PDF Reader plug-in in Google Chrome, open the Plug-ins page, disable Chrome PDF Viewer and Adobe Reader (if you still have it), and enable Foxit Reader for Mozilla (red arrow).

Find Foxit Reader Plug-in for Mozilla and Enable it. If you don't see it you may need to reinstall the Foxit package or you can download the Foxit add-ons package directly from Foxit Software.

Enabling the plug-in for Firefox is a two step process. First set the Foxit plug-in to Always Active in the Plug-ins screen (Tools => Add-ons or enter about:addons in the address field) (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. Open the Add-ons page in Firefox and set Foxit Reader Plug-in for Mozilla to Always Activate.

Next open the Applications tab in the Tools => Options menu and select Portable Document Format (PDF) from the list (see Figure 7). Click the arrow at the right select Use Foxit Reader Plug-in for Mozilla (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. Set Firefox to use the Foxit plug-in.

I found that procedure it was a little more problematic in Windows 8.1. For some reason the plug-in never appeared in the Applications list even though it was installed. I was able to select the main Foxit program which loads PDF externally to the browser into the standalone program.

Another reason for making Foxit as your default PDF reader in Windows 8 is because of a problem caused by the PDF Reader app in the Modern interface. Apparently, the last file opened by the Modern reader gets locked and stays locked—even if the reader is closed. The reader needed to be stopped in Task Manager to release the file lock. Otherwise, the file can't be opened, edited, or deleted by any other program.

I can't say the Foxit PDF Reader is the best program available because I haven't tried them all, but it is certainly a good one and better than sticking with Adobe Reader. Some people recommended Nitro Reader which can also create PDFs from files, but doesn't require Microsoft Office to be installed. If all you do is occasionally read a PDF in Chrome or Firefox, then sticking with the built-in reader is probably good enough. But if you want to do even a tiny bit more or use Internet Explorer, get Foxit PDF Reader.

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at ceeditor@computoredge.com. Jack is now in the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books. Currently available:

Recently released is Jack's FREE AutoHotkey book, AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought to Do with Window, available exclusively at ComputorEdge E-Books in the EPUB for e-readers and tablets, MOBI for Kindle, and PDF for printing formats.

ComputorEdge E-books offering is his AutoHotkey Applications, an idea-generating intermediate level e-book about using the AutoHotkey Graphical User Interface (GUI) command to write practical pop-up apps for your Windows computer. (It's not as hard as it sounds.)

Hidden Windows Tools for Protecting, Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Computers.

Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 and Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey.

Our second compilation of stupid ComputorEdge cartoons from 2011 and 2012 is now available at Amazon! That Does Not Compute, Too! ComputorEdge Cartoons, Volume II: "Do You Like Windows 8 or Would You Prefer an Apple?"

Special Free Offer at ComputorEdge E-Books! Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Started!.

Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Windows 8 (Seventh Edition)!

Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,

Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using Windows 7,

Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to Windows 7,

and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags by Jack about computers and the people who use them.

Packing More Info into Apps with Window Tabs

“The AutoHotkey Tab GUI Control Is a Powerful Space Saver for Windows Apps”
by Jack Dunning

When you find that you are adding so many data and editing fields to your AutoHotkey GUI windows that they become large and grotesque, then it's time to take a look at the Tab control. Tabs instantly add more space to your apps without taking up more screen.

I took up working on the Calorie Counting script again last week. I keep finding issues and bugs. (An issue is something that works, but I would prefer that it work a different way. A bug is something which doesn't work properly.) As I encounter these, I add them to my list of things to do. Each item has a specific AutoHotkey learning point and I plan to cover them in the coming weeks. Understanding what's involved in in these situations helps in future script writing and debugging.

As I have stated before, a script is never truly finished. There is always something more that either needs to be fixed or would be nice to include. In the past, I've concentrated on getting a rudimentary example script working and left the completion up to the reader. This time I will spend more time with the Calorie Counting script adding features and fixing bugs. If you want a truly useful end product, then this testing and repair is part of the process. Every software program needs to go through this debugging stage (except maybe some of the one-line AutoHotkey hotkeys and hotstring replacement scripts). If you happen to test the current version of CalorieCount.ahk and find any bugs or have any comments, then please let me know. I may not include all the recommendations, but I will certainly try to fix the bugs. I will explain each issue through this column and how I resolved (or failed to resolve) it. This file can be found at the ComputorEdge AutoHotkey download site.

Some of this detail may be a bit much for beginning AutoHotkey script writers, but hang in there. Like any language it takes a little time to become fluent. (If you haven't gotten started with AutoHotkey yet (and you should—it's good for your brain), see our Introduction to AutoHotkey!)

The GUI (Graphic User Interface) Tab Control

The GUI (Graphic User Interface) Tab control adds space to an AutoHotkey window without adding any space. In other words, the tab gives more operating area without taking up more of the screen. Add one tab and the working space is doubled. Add two tabs and the available window size is effectively tripled without changing its height or width. I added an entirely new table of previously entered food items to the CalorieCount script by using the Tab control.

Originally, the CalorieCount app was just one window where daily calories were looked up and entered. (Imagine Figure 1 without the tabs at the top.) However, I wanted to add a history so that food items already entered into the system could be reused. This would save new Web lookups and/or searching through previous days in the log to copy entries.

Figure 1. The original CalorieCount app was one window without the tabs located at the top.

The problem was that another list could take up substantial space making the window far too large. The solution was to add a Tab GUI control. Changing to the other tab opens a clear space of the same size as the window—in this case the Food List shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Using the Tab control the effective window space is doubled for adding the food history. Click each tab to change the view.

There could just as easily be three, four, or more tabs in the window, so it's easy to see how a great deal of additional space can be generated for almost any AutoHotkey app. The Tab control used in the CalorieCount script is as follows:

Gui, Add, Tab2, w600 h450 gTabClick vTabNum altsubmit, Daily Calories | Food List

(Note: The Tab2 control was introduced to correct some problems in the original Tab control. If the script does not run properly on your Windows computer, then you may need to upgrade to a more recent version of AutoHotkey. See the AutoHotkey documentation for more details.)

The number of tabs is designated by the number of names separated by the vertical line "|" character at the end of the code line. In this case there are only two with the names Daily Calories and Food List. Want more tabs? Add more names separated by the vertical line "|" character.

After the Gui, Show command, the window pops up, as shown above, but before any controls are added to a tab it appears as a blank area completely covering the window. Click a tab to switch between areas.

The Tab control creates an outline which includes both the tabs and a designated area of the window, in this case w600 h450 specifies the dimensions of the tab box. Even though selecting a tab completely clears the entire window for use, this box outline is the actual size of the control for layout purpose. (The space outside the box can be used for other controls.) The Tab box works in a manner very similar to the GroupBox control.. (For more information on the GroupBox control, see "Using the GroupBox GUI Control" in this other AutoHotkey column.)

Tip: If you want certain controls to appear on every tab area, use the Gui, Tab command with no parameters before adding the controls. The controls will then be place at the same spot and be visible on all tabs.

Just as with the GroupBox, the best positioning options to use when placing controls inside the Tab box are xp± and yp±—which locate the control relative to the upper left-hand corner of the previous control. If all the controls are placed in this manner then they get locked in as a group and only the first control needs repositioning to move the entire group. (Even I get confused by the position controls and need to refer to the sizing and positioning documentation whenever I start doing something that's even a little tricky.)

Switching Tabs

Switching tabs is as easy as clicking a tab (or using CTRL+PageUp or CTRL+PageDown on the keyboard). The problem comes in when a control such as ListView needs to be activated when its respective tab is clicked. That's the issue in the CalorieCount script. Interaction with a ListView only occurs with the last active control. The proper ListView must be activated when the appropriate tab is selected. That's the reason for adding the label (subroutine) gTabClick and the variable vTabNum options to the Gui, Add, Tab2 line. The AltSubmit option is added so that the variable TabNum will save the number value of the tab rather than its name.

Whenever a tab is clicked the following glabel subroutine runs:

TabClick:

Gui, Submit, NoHide

If TabNum = 1

Gui, ListView, MyListView

If TabNum = 2

Gui, ListView, MyFoodView

Return

The Gui, Submit line is important for storing the current tab number to the variable TabNum. Otherwise the value will not change. (Omitting the Gui, Submit command is a common error in beginning scripts. Leave it out and the script will try to send data to the wrong control—even though the tab has changed.) The NoHide parameter is important for preventing the GUI window from closing after the tab is clicked. Very aggravating!

Depending upon the tab number clicked, the active ListView is set to either Gui, ListView, MyListView or Gui, ListView, MyFoodView—which is that standard method for activating a particular ListView. This takes care of activating the proper ListView whenever a specific tab is selected.

Adding Controls to Another Tab

So far controls have only been added only to the first tab. Now it's time to place the new ListView in the second tab area:

Gui, Tab, 2

Gui, Add, ListView, xs y+18 section sort r22 w200 vMyFoodView, Food

| Serving Size | Cal/Serv  ;gMyFoodview

The second tab is selected for adding controls with the Gui, Tab, 2 command. (This is similar to the Gui, Tab command mentioned in the tip for displaying a control on all tabs, except there is a tab number included as a parameter.) For the purpose of adding more controls, the script has switched to tab two—any following controls will be added to the second tab until another Gui, Tab command is issued. If you have more tabs, selecting the appropriate tab for loading controls is as easy as changing the number in the last parameter.

In many ways, the Tab command makes it much easier to add features and power to your AutoHotkey apps. Many people don't use tabs because they appear to complicate things, but they are simple to implement and save you from building larger or separate GUI windows to add needed tools to your script. If you have more features that you want to add to your favorite script, consider using the Tab command.

Next time, I'll talk about changes in the script for adding data to the new ListView which resides in the new tab and how to make at interact with the data fields in the Daily Calories tab.

*                    *                    *

Recently released and free from ComputorEdge E-Books! AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought To Do With Windows! This e-book includes both those tips and the reference material (Table of Contents and indexes) from the other three AutoHotkey books below. Pick up a copy free and share it with your friends.

*                    *                    *

The second edition with more chapters and an index to the AutoHotkey commands found in the book is available in e-book format from Amazon (and other formats—EPUB and PDF— at the ComputorEdgeBooks Web site linked below). Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) offers a gentle approach to learning AutoHotkey. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

Building Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, AutoHotkey is the most powerful, flexible, free Windows utility software available. Anyone can instantly add more of the functions that they want in all of their Windows programs, whether installed on their computer or while working on the Web. AutoHotkey has a universality not found in any other Windows utility—free or paid.

Based upon the series of articles in ComputorEdge, Jack takes you through his learning experience as he explores writing simple AutoHotkey scripts for adding repetitive text in any program or on the Web, running programs with special hotkeys or gadgets, manipulating the size and screen location of windows, making any window always-on-top, copying and moving files, and much more. Each chapter builds on the previous chapters.

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey click here!

*                    *                    *

Jack's second AutoHotkey book, Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) is comprised of updated, reorganized and indexed columns from ComputorEdge is now available. Since the columns were not all written in a linear fashion, the book has been reorganized and broken up into parts by topic. The book is not for the complete beginner since it builds on the information in A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey. However, if a person is reasonably computer literate, they could go directly to this book for ideas and techniques without the first book. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of Digging Deeper into AutoHotkey click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of Digging Deeper into AutoHotkey click here!

*                    *                    *

Jack's third AutoHotkey book AutoHotkey Applications (preferred, EPUB format for iPad, Android, and computers; MOBI for Amazon Kindle; and PDF for printing) is an intermediate level book of ideas and applications based primarily on the AutoHotkey GUI command. The book emphasizes practical applications. The book is not for the complete beginner since it builds on the information in the other two books. However, if a person is reasonably computer literate, they could go directly to this book for ideas and techniques without the other books. There is an extensive index to the ideas and techniques covered in the back of the book. (Also available from Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle software on other devices.)

For an EPUB (iPad, NOOK, etc.) version of AutoHotkey Applications click here!

For a PDF version for printing on letter size paper for inclusion in a standard notebook of AutoHotkey Applications click here!

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at ceeditor@computoredge.com. Jack is now in the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books. Currently available:

Recently released is Jack's FREE AutoHotkey book, AutoHotkey Tricks You Ought to Do with Window, available exclusively at ComputorEdge E-Books in the EPUB for e-readers and tablets, MOBI for Kindle, and PDF for printing formats.

ComputorEdge E-books offering is his AutoHotkey Applications, an idea-generating intermediate level e-book about using the AutoHotkey Graphical User Interface (GUI) command to write practical pop-up apps for your Windows computer. (It's not as hard as it sounds.)

Hidden Windows Tools for Protecting, Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Computers.

Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 and Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey.

Our second compilation of stupid ComputorEdge cartoons from 2011 and 2012 is now available at Amazon! That Does Not Compute, Too! ComputorEdge Cartoons, Volume II: "Do You Like Windows 8 or Would You Prefer an Apple?"

Special Free Offer at ComputorEdge E-Books! Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Started!.

Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Windows 8 (Seventh Edition)!

Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,

Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using Windows 7,

Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to Windows 7,

and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags by Jack about computers and the people who use them.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

“Apple Moving to the Enterprise”
by Wally Wang

Apple Moving to the Enterprise; Open Source Wins Again; Turning an iPad Into a Whiteboard; Adware Comes to the Macintosh; Technology is Never a Magic Bullet; Following iBeacon; Erase Deleted Items.

With iPad sales declining among consumers, Apple's next growth market involves corporations. Already 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies are testing the iPad. While Android and Windows tablets offer some competition, the bulk of tablet sales still remain with Apple, which likely means a larger market for apps aimed specifically for the corporate market. IBM's latest deal with Apple plans to focus on corporate apps so you can bet IBM will help make the iPad a corporate standard.

In the not so distant past, corporations relied on Blackberry smartphones. Now Ford plans to dump Blackberry in favor of giving their employees iPhones. The iPhone and iPad are already favorites with the corporate crowd, so it's only a matter of time before more Macintosh computers start slipping into the corporate world as well.

While the Macintosh still remains far behind Windows PCs in the corporate world, the gradual growth of Macintosh sales means a steady increase of Macintosh computers in corporations over time. eWeek (formerly called PC Week) even listed ten reasons for why a MacBook Air might be right for corporate use.

Just a few years ago, eWeek rarely mentioned Apple products at all. Now in the absence of interesting news and products from the traditional Windows PC world, eWeek has focused more on Apple products working their way into the corporate market.

When Apple introduced FaceTime, they focused mostly on one to one contact between friends. To encourage corporate use of FaceTime, Apple has patented a multi-view camera system that allows multiple people in a conference room to use FaceTime to conduct video meetings.

Figure 1. Apple patented a multiple camera FaceTime device for meetings.

For years, the corporate world has clung to the Windows PC and Blackberry as corporate "standards." Today the iPhone, iPad, and Macintosh are making steady inroads into the corporate market with no slowing in sight. As Blackberries fade away and Windows PC sales remain stagnant, it's clear that the corporate world is embracing more Apple products than ever before.

For anyone who still thinks Apple products are only toys, you can ask all those mainframe and minicomputer enthusiasts who thought the same thing about early PCs. When mainframe and minicomputer enthusiasts derided PCs as toys, we all know how corporations never embraced PCs to do any type of productive work at all.

Open Source Wins Again

Former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, once called Linux a cancer. Since then, Microsoft has slowly embraced more open source projects and backed away from their earlier inflammatory comments about open source projects like Linux.

Apple's own OS X is based on the open source operating system FreeBSD while Apple also contributes to the open source project WebKit, which powers the Safari browser. Clearly Steve Ballmer felt threatened by open source projects like Linux and LibreOffice that undermined the reasons to pay money for Windows and Microsoft Office.

For the ultimate open source project, download the source code to Open Worm, a project that seeks to duplicate digital life. By mimicking the parts of the C. elegans nematode worm as a digital life form, the Open Worm project hopes to encourage scientists and enthusiasts to study how changes in one part of a life form can affect different parts of an animal.

A similar open source project is geppetto, a neuroscience simulator. Now you can study the brain and nerves to better understand how the brain works without having to dissect or kill anything.

Figure 2. The geppetto project lets you study molecular biology as a digital simulation.

If you're interested in studying biology using a computer, then take a look at the Open Worm and geppetto open source projects. For anyone looking for a job in the computer or biology field, there's no better way to spice up your resumé than by contributing to an open source project like Open Worm or geppetto.

Turning an iPad Into a Whiteboard

One of the reasons why the iPad has caught the imagination of so many people (except for critics who can't recognize innovation right in front of their face) is its versatility. The iPad screen can turn into a game, a word processor, or a slideshow presentation screen. To see how corporations have found ways to save time and money using an iPad, just browse through these stories so you can see for yourself how an iPad can be useful in the business world.

If you're the type of person who likes organizing your thoughts using sticky notes on a whiteboard, you can now turn your iPad into a whiteboard using the Stickyboard app.

Figure 3. Stickyboard mimics posting sticky notes on a whiteboard.

Just create a virtual sticky note on the screen using colors to organize related ideas, then move them on the screen. If you connect your iPad to a larger screen, you can collaborate with others while manipulating ideas on the iPad.

You may not want to buy an iPad just to use an app like Stickyboard, but once you have an iPad, apps like Stickyboard simply make the iPad more useful and flexible for both entertainment and work. Try creating and manipulating sticky notes on a real whiteboard and then try sharing your final organized notes with others so they can modify it on their own without messing up your original organization. Then try creating and manipulating ideas on a laptop and see how a physical keyboard isn't always an advantage.

Figure 4. Stickyboard makes it easy to manipulate and rearrange your notes.

If you need to brainstorm ideas by yourself or with others, take a look at Stickyboard and see if it might simplify your brainstorming tasks. If you're still not convinced that an iPad can help you work more efficiently, then perhaps you need a brainstorming tool like Stickyboard to help clarify your thinking.

Adware Comes to the Macintosh

While the vast majority of malware infects Windows PCs, the growing popularity of the Macintosh means that many malicious programmers are now trying to infect Macintosh computers with adware, often by poisoning downloads that entice people to open them on their Macintosh.

If your Macintosh suddenly seems to display ads on the screen or in different browser windows for no reason, chances are good your Macintosh is infected with adware. Fortunately, the problem is relatively easy to solve. Just visit the Safe Mac site and download their free Adware Removal Tool. In case you're suspicious about letting a strange program probe around your Macintosh, just download a free technical guide that explains how you can find and remove adware yourself.

If you find the Safe Mac site helpful, consider making a donation to support their adware removal tools. As always, the weakest link in any security involves people, so be careful what you download and where you get it from. If you're busy downloading free games, music, movies, or programs, there's a high risk of getting any computer infected.

Technology is Never a Magic Bullet

If you want to know why kids don't take school seriously, it's because they see so many poor role models. In too many school districts, administrators cheerfully waste money on equipment that never solves the real problem of improving education.

In Hoboken, New Jersey, school administrators came up with the brilliant idea of giving every student a laptop. While this may sound like a good idea, it avoids the real question of how the school thought that laptops would improve education. After a five year experiment with Dell netbooks, the school district wound up locking most of the netbooks in a closet with plans to pay a recycling firm to help them throw the netbooks away.

One huge problem with netbooks running Windows was that "Licenses for the security software alone were running more than $100,000 and needed to be renewed every two years."

The school district also discovered that their $500 laptops lasted only two years before needing to be replaced. Even then the netbooks were underpowered. Only after they purchased the netbooks did they realize that the educational software they needed to run on the netbooks would have required a $1,000 laptop instead.

For anyone who thinks price is the overriding criteria for buying a computer, you can save money buying an inexpensive laptop, only to spend more money replacing it a few years later. Or you can buy a quality laptop right from the start that will last much longer and cost less per year in the long run. For short-sighted people, the lowest price is their only criteria except when it comes to paying extra for security software subscriptions, Microsoft Office subscriptions, and utility software to keep Windows running properly.

Why do schools waste so much money chasing after technological solutions when those solutions consistently fail to provide dramatic increases in education? When school districts are too dense to realize technology of any kind won't magically solve their problems, it's easy to see how students can get disillusioned attending schools run by so many incompetent administrators.

Following iBeacon

While critics complain that Apple hasn't released anything innovative since the iPad (and even then they complained that the iPad wasn't innovative until they later decided that it was), Apple has released plenty of innovative technology that has slipped past most people's minds. One blatant example of this is iBeacon.

The main idea behind iBeacon is for short-range location sensing in public places like retail stores, museums, and airport terminals. By using iBeacon on your iPhone or iPad, you can get information from nearby iBeacon sensors.

Stores could use iBeacon to track potential customers and send them custom advertisements to track which ads statistically bring in the most customers and generate the most sales. Museums could use iBeacon to provide information about exhibits as people stand in front of them. Airport terminals could use iBeacon to help travelers find their way to rest rooms, restaurants, baggage claims, and gates for outgoing flights. Even many sports stadiums are adopting iBeacon to enhance the experience of attendees.

To learn more about the many uses for iBeacon, visit the iBeacon Insider site. By reading about so many different uses for iBeacon, you can get a better idea how iBeacon might be useful in your line of work.

Figure 5. iBeacon Insider tracks the latest uses for iBeacon.

The next time critics complain that Apple hasn't developed anything innovative, chances are good that these same critics are both missing true innovation from Apple right in front of their eyes while failing to criticize other companies for not producing any type of innovative technology whatsoever.

iBeacon is a perfect example of innovation that's slipped right past most critics along with Apple's HealthKit software framework for monitoring health data in real-time, HomeKit for monitoring devices around a building, the Swift programming language for making programming easier and more reliable, iOS for defining a touch gesture operating system, Passbook for storing travel information such as digital tickets, iBooks Author for creating interactive e-books, Continuity for seamlessly linking iOS and OS X, Siri for popularizing natural language processing and voice recognition, App Stores for changing the retail software market, TouchID for popularizing fingerprint recognition sensors, and iTunes University for bringing education to the public for free.

Can anyone think of any other company that has produced anything that has had the same impact on the way people live, work, and play as Apple's long list of innovative technologies that critics routinely dismiss because they can't recognize innovation even when they see it?

*                    *                    *

Each time you delete a message in the Mail program that comes with every Macintosh, the Mail program simply dumps the deleted message in a special Trash folder so you can retrieve it again if you wish.

Obviously this takes up space, so if you need to free up space on your Macintosh just to make sure it runs a little more efficiently, click the Mailbox menu in the Mail program and choose Erase Deleted Items. Now you'll have a choice of permanently deleting erased messages from all your accounts or just the account you specify.

In the early days, before Wally became an Internationally renowned comedian, computer book writer, and generally cool guy, Wally Wang used to hang around The Byte Buyer dangling participles with Jack Dunning and go to the gym to pump iron with Dan Gookin.

Wally is responsible for the following books:

Microsoft Office 2013 For Dummies

Beginning Programming for Dummies

Beginning Programming All-in-One Reference for Dummies

Breaking Into Acting for Dummies with Larry Garrison

Strategic Entrepreneurism with Jon and Gerald Fisher

How to Live with a Cat (When You Really Don't Want To)

The Secrets of the Wall Street Stock Traders

Mac Programming For Absolute Beginners

Republican Fairy Tales (Children's Stories the 1% Tell About the Rest of Us)

The Zen of Effortless Selling with Moe Abdou

The 15-Minute Movie Method

Erotophobia (A novel)

Math for the Zombie Apocalypse

How to Write a Great Script with Final Draft 9

How to Write a Great Script with Fade In

The Elements of a Great Script: Star Wars

The Elements of a Great Script: Die Hard

The Element of a Great Script: Back to the Future

The Elements of a Great Script: Rocky

The Elements of a Great Script: It's a Wonderful Life

In his spare time, Wally likes blogging about movies and writing screenplays at his site "The 15 Minute Movie Method," finding interesting news stories about cats at his site "Cat Daily News," giving advice to authors who want to self-publish e-books at his site "The Electronic Author," and providing the type of advice he wishes someone would have told him when he was much younger at his personal Web site. Wally can be reached at wally@computoredge.com or you can follow him on Twitter @wallacewang_com.

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers

“Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.”
by ComputorEdge Staff

"Microsoft Windows Update," "Open vs. LibreOffice," "Win 8 Upgrade and Internet Access"

Microsoft Windows Update

Last week there was a Microsoft Windows update that installed on 2 Windows 7 professional computers that apparently caused 1603 errors. Wiki-error.com says Download (Error 1603) Repair Tool. It's a registry scanner! The trouble is it shows thousands of not relevant errors that are in all Windows registers! It turned out that in the Windows Control Panel, click "System and Security", then click "Restore your computer to an earlier time." Restore before last update got rid of the 1603 error. Microsoft is getting a little sloppy in the updates.

-Walter, San Diego, CA

Open vs. LibreOffice

[Regarding the July 25 Digital Dave column:]

Essentially Openoffice lost any support/updates/maintenance at all for a couple/several years. This is my understanding of how/why LibreOffice got started, a bunch of folks wanted it to be continued to be maintained as well as updated (hence the inclusion of .___x MS format support). OpenOffice then got some support at some point, but at this point, I just recommend LibreOffice over OpenOffice.

-Rich Ernst, San Diego, CA

Win 8 Upgrade and Internet Access

[Regarding the July 18 Digital Dave column:] Don't know if this might be related but thought I'd throw it into the discussion just in case.

About a week ago my Win 8.0 HP laptop went through one of its periodic forced Microsoft Updates. (I haven't tried to upgrade to 8.1.) Immediately after the update Internet Explorer wouldn't access the Internet and its troubleshooting routine couldn't find the problem. After an hour or two of trying to understand and fix the problem I found a huge clue. If I disabled the Norton firewall, IE worked fine and re-enabling the firewall again caused IE to fail. I contacted Norton tech support which seemed familiar with the problem and remotely uninstalled and re-installed my Norton Internet Security software (antivirus, firewall, etc). Everything then worked fine again. Apparently a Microsoft automatic update to 8.0 is capable of causing problems with Norton's firewall.

-Ted, Louisville, CO

I just wanted to say thank you and I am going to try the solution. I am going to disabled Windows firewall and Norton. I just wish if things did not work or fail, a refresh of Windows 8 did not take three to four hours.

-Mr. Carroll Ware, San Diego, CA

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